Gretchen Carlson's Laughable Defense Of Fox & Friends
January 18, 2012 12:15 pm ET by Eric Schroeck
This morning, Gretchen Carlson took offense to Jerry Springer's criticism that Fox & Friends' agenda is "slamming" President Obama "every single morning." Carlson defended her show by claiming that "we present both sides of the story, and we leave it up to our viewers to decide where they fall."
But Carlson's defense of Fox & Friends is laughable. For instance, just yesterday, guest Fox & Friends co-host Eric Bolling claimed that Obama has been the "apologist for America" and that "American exceptionalism is embarrassing to him." It's unclear what Bolling left for their viewers to decide.
Fox & Friends regularly attacks Obama by misleading about his policies and taking his words out of context. And no issue is too petty for a Fox & Friends attack on Obama. Remember Obama's "chintzy" paper clip?
The hosts also routinely outsource their attacks on Obama to their guests, like this segment in November with Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus hawking his anti-Obama bumper stickers. Moreover, Fox & Friends has also been a welcome home for some of the right-wing's craziest anti-Obama conspiracy theories.
Despite all of this, Carlson wants you to believe they're just playing it down the middle as independent observers. It's remarkable that she was able to keep a straight face.
Here's transcript from the Springer segment:
SPRINGER: It is a little disingenuous for -- here we are sitting here at Fox complaining that, gee, Newsweek may be a little partisan.
CARLSON: Well, they've had a pretty good track record.
[...]
SPRINGER: Well, I'm sure there are a lot of people that don't like what President Obama is doing. But I'll say it once again: If the point of this discussion is to be upset with a magazine that, even if it took the position that they're pro-Obama, again, everybody in the media is doing things like that. We're here on Fox News. Every single day, in fairness, you guys, every single day, bash President Obama.
CARLSON: I'm going to take you to task on that --
SPRINGER: Every day.
CARLSON: I'm going to take you to task on that, because on this panel right here, we have a fair and balanced panel right here. And I'm the independent.
SPRINGER: Well, this panel. What's the rest of the show? Every single morning you guys are slamming Obama. You know you are. And I'm not saying you don't have a right to. But every single conversation is something bad about Obama.
[...]
CARLSON: By the way, Jerry, you obviously don't watch our show, because you do not understand that there is a reason -- I'll speak for myself. I sit in the middle, as the independent on the panel. And, quite frankly, we present both sides of the story, and we leave it up to our viewers to decide where they fall.
Okay... who's going to break the news to Retchin? The reason she sits in the middle is so the camera can see up her dress.
Ugh... The stupid is giving me a headache
Isn't that always the way. Faux gets owned and according to them they school the offender. O'Reilly always takes Jon Stewart to the woodshed,Rove tutors .......
http://www2.richmond.com/news/2001/aug/21/news-14556-ar-605962/
FOX "News" is the WWF of Cable News Networks.
>^o.-^<
As a teacher, I would often teach my students the truth and the lie, not tell them which is which, and let them use their gut to decide.
For instance, how many of you know that some say Thomas Jefferson was our first president?
And how many of you know that many have argued that we warned Nazi Germany that if they invaded Poland, we would strike at them with the freedom so many of our freedom troops and beloved God-given Alaskan nature and such, also.... (sorry, I went Palinesque there for a moment--it's a possible side-effect of trying to pass off stupid lies for the truth)
Gretchen looked like she was going to have a stroke when Springer sprung the truth on her. And I had to laugh out loud when she said they were fair and balanced. They're as fair as a bought judge and as balanced as a sumo wrestler and a toddler on a see-saw.
Go back to your sorority sisters, Gretchen. You wouldn't know what it means to be objective if the ability were shoved down your throat and pulled out your rectum.
On supply side theory, climate change, health care, keynes, tax policy, and a host of other issues, there aren't two sides anymore. Thanks to a process called "learning", there is now only one side, plus a bunch of liars.
And looking at the whole spectrum, Gretch is not in the middle and Springer's assertion of that idea is one she could not accept--from her perspective.